


Your Move

by OnceUponATimeLover28



Category: Onceuponatime - Fandom
Genre: F/F, onceuponatime, swanqueen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:35:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23017126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnceUponATimeLover28/pseuds/OnceUponATimeLover28
Summary: After the famous apple tree scene, Regina and Emma get back at each in various ways.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 66





	Your Move

**Author's Note:**

> None of the things that happen are meant to be entirely malicious, they’re mostly meant to be funny.

Your Move 

The thing that Regina loved most about being mayor was that she had to answer to no one. She could make decisions without asking for anyone’s approval, she could fuck Graham whenever she wanted to and anyone who knew better would keep their mouths shut, and she could manipulate and sweet-talk her way into anything and everything she ever wanted. Really, it was like being the queen again! Except here in this town, she couldn’t exactly rip out someone’s heart and crush it to dust—that would be a bit much perhaps and anyway, if she killed off every single person who annoyed her in this horrible town—which was pretty much everyone— well, there would simply be no one to belittle or talk down to. Best keep everyone alive, for now. All in all, she was content with her life; she had a beautiful home, a wonderful son, a great career... everything was perfect. 

That is, until Emma Swan came to town. 

To be fair, it was Henry that had brought her here—which wasn’t his fault, he had only been naturally curious about where his roots were from—but did Emma really have to stay here? Everything was under control. Sure, Regina had threatened her a few times, but it was only what she was supposed to do, right? She was Henry’s real mother. That damn ex-convict couldn’t possibly want anything to do with the son she had basically thrown away ten years ago... right? 

Regina shook her head, grimacing. It didn’t help that Emma was so attractive, and knew damn well that she was. Why, just the other day she had had the nerve to ask if Regina would like to get together to ‘talk out their differences’, and then had raised her eyebrows and grinned in that pathetically but irresistibly sexy way. It was nauseating and irritating. If Emma really was this so called Saviour, the beloved daughter of Charming and Snow White, then their damn genes had created something so beautiful. Why did she have to be so good looking? 

Regina forced herself to return her focus back to the reports she was writing up. She didn’t have time for this. One way or another, she was getting Emma Swan out of this town. It didn’t matter what it took, it-

ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

She just about hit the ceiling, heart thudding in her chest. What the hell was that awful sound? And where was it coming from? She stood up from her chair and peered out the window. She watched in horror as Emma, armed with a chainsaw, began chopping down her beloved apple tree. She would have cried out if the blonde hadn’t looked up at her right then and smirked. 

Regina clenched her jaw and raced outside, feeling as if steam were coming from her ears. “What the hell are you doing?” she shouted. 

Emma turned and to Regina’s dismay, she did not cower or back down as most people did when she raised her voice. Instead, the blonde stood confident and tall. “Picking apples.” 

Regina glowered at her, wondering why she was acting so damn confident. Did she not get that she was literally walking into her own grave right now? “You’re out of your mind,” Regina said, wanting to spit at her. 

“No you are if you think a shoddy frame job’s enough to scare me off, you’re gonna have to do better than that.” Emma’s eyes looked dangerous, and for a moment Regina wondered if she was going to slap her. “You come after me one more time, I’m coming back for the rest of this tree, because sister you have no idea what I am capable of.” 

This last sentence was whispered so softly that Regina felt shivers running down her spine. Not wanting to show this woman that she was afraid, she continued to stare at her. Emma stared back and it seemed like an eternity had passed until she finally broke eye contact and began to walk away. “Your move,” she said over her shoulder. 

Regina continued to watch the arrogant blonde, breathing heavily and wanting nothing more than to run after her and kill her once and for all. Emma Swan had no idea what she, the former evil queen, was capable of. 

*****

The best part of Granny’s diner in Emma’s opinion was the hot chocolate. It was always fresh, the perfect hot temperature, sweet, and had just the right amount of cinnamon sprinkled on top. She usually got one each morning, along with a bear claw. That, along with the drink, were two of her guilty pleasures. 

Today was just like any other morning, and Emma sat at a lone table off to the side waiting for Ruby to bring over her desired treats. She’d said good morning to Marco and Archie when they were on their way out, and had waved hello to Henry; which was really the only type of contact she was allowed to initiate with him when Regina was around. 

Emma looked up as there was a commotion in the kitchen, and both Granny and Ruby ran into the back. She wondered if she should go see what was going on. She was about to stand up when she noticed that Regina was watching her from the counter, about a foot away from the table that Henry sat reading at. 

Emma lowered the newspaper in her hands and tilted her head in confusion. Regina was smiling at her, which was something to be on guard about. Regina didn’t just smile for no reason, she had to be up to something; it was similar to watching a snake smile, where you knew that there was something evil about to strike.

There was something about the mayor that was so incredibly annoying, but Emma could just not put her finger on what it was exactly. She knew that Regina liked to think that she was the charismatic and highly important leader of Storybrooke, but was she really kidding herself? Just because she threw on a pantsuit and heels everyday and paraded around the town like she owned it didn’t mean anything. She’d watched as the other townspeople looked down or avoided her when they saw her, as there was something about Regina that they feared. Emma herself wasn’t scared of Regina, just the opposite actually. She found it funny that the mayor thought herself to be so important, and knew that it annoyed her that she wasn’t afraid of her. 

Emma shook her head and went back to reading, pushing all thoughts of the mayor out of her head. She’d have to keep her guard up, since Regina seemed to be up to something. 

A moment later, Ruby brought over her mug of hot chocolate and her bear claw on a plate. Smiling up at the girl, Emma brought the mug to her lips and blew. Then she took a big sip. 

Suddenly, she gagged. There was something wrong with the hot chocolate; it didn’t taste sweet, it tasted as if someone had dumped an entire shaker of salt into it. Because she had been expecting the rich velvety taste of chocolate, she spat her drink all over the table and began coughing violently. Her cheeks began to turn red as everyone in the diner turned to look at her. Ruby came over immediately with a glass of water for her and she took it, pushing past everyone to head to the bathroom. She vaguely heard the sound of someone yelling for Granny to bring a cloth to clean up the mess. 

Leaning over the sink, Emma rinsed her mouth and let the cold water wash out the horrible, salty taste. She breathed heavily for a few moments, closing her eyes. 

“Miss Swan, are you alright?” 

Eyes narrowed. That voice belonged to only one person. Sure enough, she turned around and saw none other than the mayor standing there. But to Emma’s surprise, Regina actually looked concerned. “I’m fine,” she managed to say. “Thanks.”

Regina unfolded her arms, a smile growing on her face. She came closer and pressed something into the palm of her hand. “Not salty enough for you, dear?” 

Emma looked down into her hand and saw two packets of salt. She looked up at Regina, confused. What the hell was she talking about? Then suddenly, it all began to make sense. “Y-you put the salt in my hot chocolate?!?!?!?” 

Regina shrugged and Emma hated the smug look that appeared on her face. “You know very well that Ruby comes to work each morning hungover. Perhaps she mixed up the salt and sugar.”

Emma glared at her as she remembered the way Regina had been casually standing by the counter. She’d probably added the salt to her drink when no one was looking. “You’re insane.” 

Regina laughed. “Next time Miss Swan, maybe you should order something else.” She began to walk out of the bathroom and then stopped. Turning around, she smiled. “Your move.” 

As Regina walked away, Emma clenched her jaw in an attempt to keep from going after her and pushing her up against the wall. The Mayor of Storybrooke had no idea who she was messing with. 

*****  
Regina headed into the elevator at the hospital and pressed a button, smile growing as the doors closed and she felt herself being carried upwards. She really had no reason to be here, plus she had a mountain of paperwork to do... but she just wanted to see the tragic scene again. Prince Charming laying comatose in bed, while a few feet away his beloved Snow White worked busily around the hospital without even knowing who he really was. Regina bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud right there. It was just too beautiful, really. A reminder of the fact that in the end, she had won. 

She drummed her fingers against the railing and waited for the doors to open, but nothing happened. She pushed several buttons and to her disbelief and growing horror, she stayed trapped inside the elevator. Panicking, Regina felt herself starting to sweat and reached into her pocket for her phone, but then she realized that she’d left it in the drawer of her desk. She slammed her hands against the doors and cursed out loud. She couldn’t believe she was stuck. “Hello?!?!?!” she shouted, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. “Somebody help!” 

Silence greeted her and she began to feel like she was suffocating. Was this what it felt like to be claustrophobic? But that was silly. She wasn’t afraid of anything... right? 

For the next few minutes, she wondered if she would have to spend the night in here. Heart thudding in her chest, she thought about Henry, who was at tutoring, waiting for her to pick him up at school soon. What would happen to him? Who would cook him his supper and help him with his homework? 

This was ridiculous. There was no way that she, the Mayor of Storybrooke, was going to stay trapped inside this damn elevator. If she wanted to be rescued, she would need to keep yelling. “HELP!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. “I’M STUCK IN THE ELEVATOR! HEEEELLLPPPP!” 

Just then, she heard a clicking on the other side of the doors and then miraculously they opened up. Standing there was Emma, and a crowd of the townspeople who all began clapping and cheering. 

“Way to go Emma!” Archie cried. “You saved Regina!” 

“Oh Regina, you’re alright!” Mary Margaret said, placing her hand pathetically over her heart. “It’s a good thing that Emma knows how to fix elevators.” 

Eyes narrowing, Regina studied Emma and watched as the blonde blushed and waved away the compliments. 

“It was nothing,” Emma answered. “The last thing we need is for the mayor to get trapped in an elevator and be stuck here forever, right?” 

There was a murmur of agreement throughout the crowd and they slowly left to go back to their usual duties. Emma smiled at her and Regina realized where she had seen that look before. Whenever Henry was keeping something from her, he would grin extra wide. The exact replica of the grin that was on Emma’s face right now. Something told her that her becoming trapped in the elevator was not an accident. Scowling, she followed the blonde and yanked on her arm. “Miss Swan, a word if you please,” she growled. 

Emma tried to pull her arm away but Regina had a tight grip on her as she led her to a quiet area of the hallway. Folding her arms, she glared at the younger woman. “What the hell was that?” 

Blinking innocently, Emma tilted her head. “What do you mean, Madam Mayor?” 

“Why did you trap me in that damn elevator?!?!” she interrupted, growing more upset at the woman’s act of innocence. “And how did you know that I would be in there?!” 

Shrugging, Emma placed her hands on her hips and smiled. “I found Walter sleeping on the job so I told him to go get some coffee while I monitored the cameras for him,” she said. “And do you really think that I don’t know how electronics work? I was able to figure out that Henry had bought a bus ticket from his browsing history, if you remember. Your move, Regina. How did it feel to be trapped?” 

At the mention of Henry, Regina frowned. She didn’t like it when Emma talked about him; it was enough that he practically worshipped her from afar. “It was horrible. I thought that I was going to be trapped in there forever. You’re lucky I’m still alive.” 

“Oh there’s no need to be dramatic. If anything, you would’ve had to go without food and water for a day or two, which happened to me sometimes when I was in jail,” Emma replied. “And as you can see, I’m still here and well.” Then she came closer, so close that Regina could smell her perfume. “Let this just be a warning Madam Mayor, that you’re not the only one that can push people around in this town.” 

“Are you threatening me, Miss Swan?” she hissed. “Because I would watch your back if I were you.”

“I don’t think threats are necessary, Regina,” Emma said, narrowing her eyes. “I would just keep your eyes open and up if I were you.” 

The blonde bumped her shoulder slightly as she walked away and Regina bristled at that unexpected contact. She did not like being one-upped by anybody, especially Emma Swan. She narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth. She would make that woman pay and she didn’t care if she had to lose sleep over it. 

*****

Ever since she had made the decision to stay in town for awhile, Emma had taken to sleeping in her yellow bug at night. It wasn’t the best place to get a good night’s sleep, but it would do for now, at least until she found somewhere to stay. Mary Margaret had offered twice to let her stay with her, but Emma still wasn’t sure. She was not used to such nice hospitality from someone, especially not someone she had just met. But her back was starting to get sore from the cramped space she had to sleep in, and she was thinking that it may not be such a bad idea to accept Mary Margaret’s offer. 

She had just brushed her teeth outside and had quickly changed into a pair of sweats and a hoodie; the town was literally deserted at this time of the night. Locking the doors and adjusting her seat so she could lean back, she crossed her legs and closed her eyes. 

As her mind drifted into sleep mode, she found herself thinking of Regina. She sighed as she thought of how sad it was that the mayor acted like a total bitch all the time. It was like she could never be happy, unless it involved Henry. Did she even have a life? 

She had just felt herself beginning to fall asleep when suddenly a loud noise began to shrill and she startled awake. What the hell? What was that? The sound pierced through her head and she quickly brought her hands over her ears. She looked into her rear view mirror and suddenly spotted it. It was an air horn. 

Cursing, she unlocked the door and kicked it open, running over to the stupid thing and kicking at it to make the racket stop. But still it shrieked over and over into the night. Groaning, she grabbed it and slammed the thing onto the ground, and doing that a few more times finally made the noise stop. 

Emma shook her head, thankful that she had managed to shut the thing up. But how had it gotten here? Looking around, the only thing she heard was the sound of the wind blowing a few stray leaves along the street. As her head began to throb, she wondered if it was worth trying to figure out at ten o’clock at night how the air horn had gotten behind her car. She had just considered dismissing it as some spooky weird thing that had happened in this ridiculous and creepy town when she heard something rustling in the woods. 

She whipped around, narrowing her eyes as she studied the dark green leaves. She couldn’t make out anything. Was someone spying on her? Or was it some sort of animal? Sighing, she decided to go in and investigate. There was no way she would be able to sleep if she didn’t at least go see what was going on. 

As she made her way into the woods, she had the strange sense that someone was following her. The crazy thing was that there was literally no one here, or at least that she could see. “Hello?” she called, feeling slightly foolish. “Who’s there?” 

Silence greeted her and she shook her head. This was ridiculous. She was probably imagining things, and that rustle had probably been just the wind. She turned around to go back when she ran smack into someone. 

She couldn’t stop herself from screaming. She hadn’t expected this. Squinting in the darkness, she could just make out Regina’s face. “Regina?” 

“Boo,” the mayor answered flatly. Then smiling, she tilted her head. “Did you enjoy my little wakeup call, Miss Swan?” 

“W-what?” Emma asked, surprised. “That was you?”

“Your move,” Regina whispered, laughing. “My goodness, you should’ve seen your face.” 

Her blood began to boil. What was the mayor’s issue with her? Who woke someone up in the middle of the night with an air horn? “What the fuck is your problem?” she asked angrily. “Do you not have a heart?” 

“Well dear, the answer to your question is you. You’re the problem.” Regina folded her arms and despite the fact that she could hardly see, she could sense that she was not happy. “You’ve kept me up for so many nights ever since you came into town Miss Swan, so I thought I’d let you see what it feels like.”

“I’m the problem?!?!?” Emma asked, wanting to laugh at how ridiculous this was. “What did I ever do to you?” 

“You came here, that’s what you did!” Regina yelled. “Ever since you stepped foot into Storybrooke, you’ve ruined everything. You just cannot accept the fact that Henry is my son and you won’t ever be getting him back!” 

“Excuse me for thinking that something was slightly off when you kept threatening me!” she shot back. “And the fact that everything seems to be completely wrong with him, although you’re too blind to see it!” 

“You know nothing about him Miss Swan, how would you? Don’t forget that you were the one who threw him away like he was nothing.” 

Nothing. Emma bit her lip to keep herself from crying in front of the mayor. All her life, kids had made fun of her because she had no parents. ‘Your parents thought you were so ugly they gave you away.’ ‘You’re nothing, because your parents didn’t want you.’ Those were things she had heard a lot when she was growing up. Blinking a few times, she folded her arms and fixed Regina with a tough stare. “What do you want from me?” she asked. “I’m not leaving town. So don’t even bother asking me that.” 

Regina shrugged. “I could kill you, Emma. I could kill you and make it look like an accident.” 

“Don’t forget that I used to be in jail, Madam Mayor. I learned how to be tough.” Emma looked into her eyes to make sure Regina knew she was serious. “I can beat you up so badly that once I’m through, the whole town won’t even recognize you.” 

They stared at each other for so long that by the time Regina moved, Emma startled. She faintly saw a hand reach out for her and she took a step back, not knowing what the mayor was trying to do. She heard a small laugh and met her eyes. 

“I would advise you to stay out of my way Miss Swan, if you know what’s good for you,” Regina said quietly. Emma knew the softness of her voice was meant to sound dangerous, but she wasn’t fazed. “Now get out of my forest and go back to your little car to sleep.” 

Narrowing her eyes, Emma crossed her arms, not wanting to be the first to walk away. But as Regina watched her, she realized that they could be here all night if someone didn’t make the first move. Sighing, Emma began walking away but turned back at the last moment. She had wanted to give one last glare, but to her surprise, the mayor was already gone. That made her feel a little frightened and she hurried back to her car.

After she got inside, she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She locked the doors and leaned back, closing her eyes. She really needed to find another place to sleep. Who knows what Regina would try to do to her next. As she fell asleep, she found herself dreaming of what her next move would be.  
*****

Regina was on the phone with Sidney, and she was getting more annoyed by the minute. Why couldn’t he do what she wanted? “Listen,” she said for the third time. “I don’t get what is so difficult. Just get me the damn records for Emma Swan!” 

“But Madam Mayor,” he pleaded. “There is literally nothing else I can find! Other than her prison record and some brief job information, there is nothing else that exists.” 

“There has to be!” she barked into the phone. “Don’t you get it?!?! Your job is to be one step ahead of her! You don’t just give up when you don’t have any more leads.” She sighed, massaging her forehead. Where were his wits? Did she make a mistake by leaving him trapped in that mirror for so long that his brain had literally shrunk? “You know what, forget it. I’ll find whatever I need to on my own. You’re officially excused.” 

“Regina wait...” 

She slammed the phone down. Groaning, she leaned back in her chair and sighed. Why did things have to be so complicated for everyone but her? How hard could it be to look up information on someone? 

She was about to begin googling Emma herself when suddenly there was a knock on her door. She thought about ignoring it, but realized that that wouldn’t be very professional. “Come in,” she barked. 

The door opened and it was none other than the blonde herself. However, what she was wearing was totally unexpected. Instead of that stupid red jacket and hideous boots, she wore a blue low cut dress and heels. She raised an eyebrow. “What the hell is that?” She tried not to act like she was staring.

Smirking, Emma came closer and put her hands right on her desk. “See something you like, Regina? Don’t try to pretend you’re not looking, I always see when you’re checking me out.” 

“Don’t flatter yourself Miss Swan,” she growled. “I was just surprised to see you wearing something so classy and put together.”

“I can dress up when I feel like it,” Emma replied, smoothing her dress. “It’s just not something I’d wear everyday, like you.” 

“Excuse me?!?!” Regina frowned and stood up. “What’s wrong with what I wear?” 

“It’s just that you look so prim and proper all the time, you never let yourself go wild.” 

“May I remind you that I am the mayor,” she said. “I need to dress a certain way so that I can project an image among the townspeople. I need to dress like this so they can take me seriously.” 

“Oh please Madam Mayor,” Emma said, coming around the desk. “Your hair is just always so perfect all the time.” Suddenly, she reached out and messed it up. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she asked, trying to ignore the smell of Emma’s perfume and the fact that they were close enough to be kissing. 

“And your dress... did you seriously iron it?” Emma ignored her, tugging slightly so that it didn’t fit so snug against her frame. 

“Miss Swan!” 

“And that lipstick,” Emma continued, reaching out with her finger. But before she could do anything, Regina swatted her hand away. 

“Stop right there!” she shouted. If looks could kill, the woman would definitely be dead by now. “Get out of my office!” 

Emma smirked and turned on her heel, even closing her office door. Closing her eyes, Regina wished that she had never come to Storybrooke in the first place. 

Sighing, she opened her eyes and when she turned towards her door she screamed. That blonde bitch had written ‘YOUR MOVE’ in lipstick. On the glass part of her door. 

She was so mad that she took the nearest thing she could grab, which happened to be an apple, and threw it against the wall. Why oh why had her idiotic guards not gotten that stupid baby away from Snow?!?!? If they had, she could have sent her to a far off realm, and then she wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place. 

*****  
“Sorry about this,” Graham said, gesturing around the diner. “I really wanted to take you somewhere nicer, but we don’t really have a lot of fancy places around here.” 

Emma smiled at him and reached for his hand, squeezing it. “It’s fine,” she reassured. “I think this place has grown on me anyway.” 

When the sheriff had asked her out at the last minute for this evening, Emma had said yes without thinking. She knew she had told him before that she hadn’t come here to date, but with all the stress she’d been through with Regina, she figured one date couldn’t hurt. It might even help take her mind off things. 

She didn’t have a lot of date worthy outfits to wear, and it seemed silly to have to dress up to go to a diner anyway, so she’d chosen a blue turtleneck and a pair of leggings along with some plain white sneakers. They felt weird on her feet, after wearing her boots for so long. 

“So,” Graham said, looking at her from around his menu. “You look pretty tonight.” 

She laughed. “Aw thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.” 

“I literally haven’t shaved in weeks,” he said, running his hand over his facial hair. “What do you think? Beard or no beard?” 

“Oh definitely no beard,” Emma replied teasingly. “It makes you look too old.” 

He eyed her. “The mayor likes me better with one.” 

The mayor. Emma worked to keep from rolling her eyes. What a controlling psycho. “Who cares what she thinks?” she said. “You should do what you wanna do.” 

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly, ducking his head. “I know you two don’t like each other. I care what you think of me.” 

She tilted her head, her eyes on that patch of hair. “I think you should shave some of it, but leave some scruff behind. It’ll look hot.” 

“Really?” He looked at her as if he genuinely wanted to know. 

“Oh yeah,” she said, tossing her hair over her shoulders. “I do. And also-”

“Sheriff Graham, there you are!” 

At the sound of that voice, Emma narrowed her eyes and turned to look over her shoulder. Why did the mayor keep popping up everywhere? “Regina, we’re kind of in the middle of something.” 

“Well that’s going to have wait, Miss Swan. I have some things I need to go over with Graham, and they cannot wait.” Regina sat down next to him and put her purse down. “Did you look over the monthly report I sent you?” 

Graham, who looked shaken by this turn of events, suddenly looked embarrassed. “Um, yeah.” 

“And? What did you think?” 

“Honestly, I um, I think we should do whatever you think is best,” he stammered. 

“Excellent. Just what I wanted to hear.” Regina had removed a little notepad from her purse and wrote something on it. “Now, what about the budget cuts for next spring? I think we really need to look into cutting the pay that the teacher’s receive annually. Personally, I think it’s too much.” 

Thankfully, Ruby came over to take their order. “What can I get you guys?” 

“I’ll have a grilled cheese sandwich and a beer,” Emma answered, feeling pissed. So much for her and Graham being on a date. 

“Um, I’ll just have the daily special,” Graham said, glancing from her to Regina and back again. 

“A glass of water with lemon and a house salad, no dressing,” Regina asked firmly. “You can just put it on Miss Swan’s bill.” 

Ruby walked away and Regina turned to her for the first time since she’d sat down. “You eat like a child, Miss Swan.” 

“Really? Last time I checked, children can’t drink beer.” 

“You know what I mean, dear. Grilled cheese? What are you, four?” 

“Well you eat like a senior citizen with no imagination,” Emma shot back. “Who doesn’t get dressing on their salad?” 

“Someone who is trying to watch their weight, thank you very much,” Regina said heatedly. 

Suddenly, Graham stood up. “Um, I’m just going to use the restroom. I’ll be back.” He hurried away. 

Glaring at the woman across from her, she gave her a piece of her mind. “You are such a monster, you know that?” 

“What are you talking about, Miss Swan?” Regina looked bored by the conversation. 

“Oh come on, don’t play dumb with me. What the hell was that? Things to go over with Graham, my ass.” Emma folded her arms. “You just cannot leave me alone, can you?” 

“Oh that,” Regina smiled. “I was saving you from making a huge mistake, dear. You shouldn’t be going out with that man.” 

“Graham? Why not?” she demanded. 

“Because he has nothing to him. Sure, he’s nice to look at and fuck around with... but other than that, he’ll just follow you around like a dog on a leash.” Regina shrugged, as if this were blatantly obvious. “He’s just not good enough for you.” 

“And you think you are?!?!?!?!” Emma yelled, looking furious. Then, she just realized what had been said. “Wait... what?!?!” 

“Oh I think I could be, dear,” Regina said, looking her in the eye. “If we had met under different circumstances and didn’t have the history we share, I think we could be great together.” Then the mayor looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “I doubt it would last long for us though. You’ve put so many walls up around yourself.” 

Emma looked confused at the way this evening was currently going. “Excuse me? What the heck is that supposed to mean?” 

“It’s just a simple observation I’ve noticed about you.” 

“Well, what do you expect? I was given away by my parents and abandoned by most of the people I’ve ever met in my life,” she said. “It hasn’t been easy.” 

“You know Miss Swan, I haven’t had an easy life either,” Regina answered. “I was raised by an overbearing mother who took away the person I loved the most so I could have the life she wanted to have. But you don’t see me boohooing over it, do you?” 

“At least you had a mother!” she shot back. “And at least you got the chance to know her.” 

“Oh trust me, I think I would’ve rather been abandoned by her than raised in a life full of hell.” Regina fixed her with a gaze, as if daring her to say something. 

Emma shook her head, standing up. She took some money out of her wallet, enough to only cover her food, and threw it on the table. “This is pointless. We could be going back and forth like this for hours.” 

She began to walk away when suddenly she heard a throat clearing behind her. Sighing, she turned back to the mayor. “What?!” 

Regina raised her eyebrows. “Aren’t you going to say ‘Your move?’”  
She shook her head. “No, because you’re the one who interrupted my date with Graham.” 

“Remember Miss Swan, I was trying to do you a favour.” 

Emma shook her head in disgust and stormed out of the diner. She’d had it. If Regina wanted a war, than a war she’d get. It was time to go back for that damn apple tree. 

*****

This time when Emma came back for the rest of her apple tree, Regina was ready. She couldn’t quite explain how she knew the blonde would be coming tonight, but she had felt that something was off all day. She’d felt quite unsettled when’d she gotten to work that morning, and when she had looked outside at the tree, she’d gotten a strange feeling inside. Almost like she needed to keep it protected from something, or someone. As for Emma herself, she hadn’t even seen her once today, which was unusual. They saw each other a couple of times each day, which usually made her feel annoyed, but sometimes it was nice to see someone attractive for a change. Not many people were in the town. 

When nothing happened during the day, she knew that Emma would be coming for revenge that night. Arranging for Henry to stay with a friend for a sleepover, she’d phoned in delivery for supper and sat by her window to eat. She was ready for whatever trick the blonde had up her sleeve. She’d also found some supplies she could use in order to fight if need be; a water gun, a baseball bat, and pepper spray. 

Three hours later and the clock just striking eleven, Regina sighed. What was taking her so long? 

Just as she had checked her watch for the third time in five minutes, she saw someone walk by her window and over to the tree. She grinned as she spied a long blonde ponytail swinging from side to side. This was it. 

Regina squinted her eyes to try and see what weapons Emma had brought with her. Surprisingly, she hadn’t brought the chainsaw. She tilted her head in wonder as she watched Emma reach into her pocket for something. What was it? 

A moment later, she received her answer when flames began to dance around the ground. Gasping, she watched in horror as her precious tree slowly began to burn away to nothing. Grabbing the water gun, she raced outside and ran over to where Emma was standing. “Get the hell away from that!” she cried. 

Emma turned to her, almost as if she’d been expecting her, and smiled. “Regina! You’re just in time. Any last words for your precious apple tree?” 

Regina said nothing, working quickly to squirt water onto the tree. It helped some, but just barely. 

“You think a little toy like that is going to save it?” Emma laughed. 

Glaring at her, she raced back into town hall and ripped the fire extinguisher off the wall. She hurried back out and sprayed it in the direction of the tree, and funnily, in the direction of Emma. 

“HEY!” Emma screamed, stepping out of the way of the nozzle. She glared at her. “What was that for?” 

“For the mess you just made!” Regina screamed back. “What the hell is wrong with you?!?!” 

“Me?!?! What the hell is wrong with you?!” Emma said. “I told you I’d be coming back for this tree.” 

Regina folded her arms and clenched her jaw. “You’ve got no shame, Miss Swan! Absolutely no shame at all! You think you can waltz into town like you own the place and just make yourself at home?!?!” She got right into the blonde’s face and sneered. “Well, you’re mistaken. This is MY town and Henry is my son! I swear, I will get you out of here if it’s the last thing I-”

She broke off as pink lips suddenly lowered onto hers and began kissing her. Surprisingly, or maybe not, considering who her parents were, Emma was an excellent kisser. Regina was just as surprised to find that she was kissing back. 

They stood there like that until a voice came out of nowhere. “What’s going on here?” 

Both of them broke apart and Regina squinted into the darkness and saw it was Graham. She wondered how long he had been watching for. She bit her lip, feeling something warm slide into her chest as the taste of Emma filled her mouth. “Nothing,” she offered, trying to compose herself. “Is there a problem, sheriff?” 

“I got a call from a neighbour nearby saying that he heard loud shouting and the smell of smoke coming from here, so I came over to see if everything was alright.” He looked in the direction of the apple tree, and Regina wondered if he had seen them kiss. 

“Yes, everything is fine,” she answered, when Emma stayed quiet yet again. “Miss Swan and I were just having an argument and we were getting rather loud.” 

Graham nodded. “Alright.” He turned and began to walk away. 

They stood there in silence as they watched him. When they could no longer see him, Regina turned to Emma. “What was that?” 

Emma shoved her hands in her pockets. “We kissed,” she said, shrugging. “It was the only way to shut you up.” 

She was quiet again as she replayed the whole thing in her head. The feel of Emma’s lips on hers, the way she had felt like her face was on fire, the hole in her heart that had seemed to begin patching itself shut. Before she could stop herself, she blurted “Can you come inside, Emma? So we can, um, continue this?” 

Emma looked at her like she had three heads. “Are you out of your mind?!” 

“No I’m not, but Emma, when you kissed me...” she tried to find the words. “I don’t know, it’s like you opened something inside me. It’s a feeling I haven’t felt in a long time.” Since Daniel, to be precise. 

“Are you kidding me? Has it really been that long since you’ve gotten laid?” 

“Have you looked around this town, Miss Swan? There aren’t many attractive people here, if you haven’t noticed.” She looked the blonde right in the eye. “So, what do you say?” 

Emma swallowed, realizing that she was serious. “What about Henry? And all the other stuff?” 

“Oh make no mistake dear, Henry is still mine. And you are damn lucky that I was able to put out your stupid fire that you started. I guess the other stuff seems mediocre now.” She shrugged. “I still hate you more than ever, but I’ve a feeling we can put our differences aside for one night.” 

Emma grinned, taking a step closer to her. “You know that grey dress of yours? Whenever you wear it, I want to rip it off you and fuck you right on your desk.” 

“Ever since you’ve come into town, I’ve been torn between wanting to hit you and wanting to push you up against the wall and kiss you.” 

Emma laughed. “I knew it, I knew you were into me.” 

“Don’t flatter yourself. Like I said, there aren’t a lot of options here.” Regina smoothed her hands over her blouse and then glanced at her. “So, are you in?” 

Emma nodded and began to lead the way into the building. “Yeah. Let’s do it.”


End file.
